After plenty of near misses, India will aim to end their title drought when they take on a spirited South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados on Saturday.
Once again, the weather is expected to play a part but India seem to have covered all their bases whether it is rain or pitch or opposition and no surprise that they start as the favourites against South Africa, who will go in as the underdogs in their maiden World Cup final.
If South Africa are guilty of choking in big games in World Cups, India's record in the big ICC events in the last decade hasn't been encouraging either. They have also succumbed to the pressure quite a few times in the semi-finals and the finals of the World Cups in both formats, the latest one being in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia.
But Captain Rohit Sharma seems to be a man on a mission! His aggressive approach with the bat has been instrumental in India winning their last two games against England and Australia, setting the tone in the Powerplay with his brutal strokeplay.
Courtesy of Rohit, in their last two games India has made most of batting first to post healthy totals and literally take the opposition out of the game.
However, Virat Kohli still remains a concern. In the semis against England, Kohli look to take a leaf out of Rohit's book and tried to attack in the early overs but perished for nine trying to manufacture a wild shot against pacer Reece Topley.
Former coach Ravi Shastri was quick to point out the flaws in Kohli's approach: 'He has tried to manufacture shots that aren't there.'
Any other player with a woeful run of 75 runs from seven games would have lost his place for an important game like the World Cup final but the Indian team management want to give the batting legend one final chance and hope he repays the trust with a match-winning knock in the final.
The other player who hasn't take his chances is Shivam Dube, who fell for a first ball duck against England.
With him not having to bowl, India must consider replacing him with Sanju Samson, who is quite good against spin and is capable of playing the match-winning knock.
The bowlers have been remarkable for India throughout the World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah has led the way quite admirably with young Arshdeep Singh blossoming quite well under his tutelage.
Together the two pacers have accounted for 28 wickets in seven games and have impressed everyone with their control, especially in the Powerplay.
The inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav from the Super 8s stage has given the Indian bowling a new dimension.
With the pitches offering some assistance, Kuldeep has proved to be quite dangerous in the middle overs, with 10 wickets from 16 overs he has sent down so far in four games.
His good showing with the bat has helped cover up for Ravindra Jadeja's poor showing with the ball. Jadeja has managed just one wicket from seven games and has also been overshadowed by spin twin Axar Patel, who ripped apart England's top order with a match-winning spell of 3/23, including the wickets of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow in the Powerplay.
Hardik Pandya has bounced back superbly in the World Cup after a lacklustre IPL. Along with taking eight wickets from seven games, he has played a few crucial cameos to score 139 runs at a strike rate of 149.
South Africa won't be easy pushovers. Their pace bowling is a big threat and India will need to find a way to negotiate the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, who can be quite a handful on a conducive track as was the case against Afghanistan.
Rabada (12 wickets) and Nortje (13 wickets) have not only chipped away at the wickets but also boast of a good economy rate of under six.
Rohit's battle against the pace trio in the Powerplay will be the one to watch out for. There is no doubt that he will look to continue his ultra-aggressive approach but South Africa will also come well prepared to counter the India skipper.
Just like Kuldeep, South Africa's left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has been among the wickets -- 11 wickets in four games, while his spin partner Keshav Maharaj has been quite steady with nine wickets, not allowing the opposition batters to score freely in the middle overs.
South Africa's batting largely hinges on how Quinton de Kock does in the Powerplay. He has been in good form in the World Cup with 204 runs at a strike rate of 143, and if he gets going early he can be difficult to stop.
Captain Aiden Markram is quite good against spin but the one to watch out will be the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen, who is capable of taking the spinners to the cleaners with his powerful strokes.
He is yet to find form in the World Cup on some tough pitches and South Africa will hope he can produce his best in the all-important final.
India enjoy a good record against South Africa in T20 World Cups, winning four out of the six matches played. Overall in T20 Internationals too, India enjoy a superior record with 14 wins from 26 games.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube/Sanju Samson, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
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